27 Jan 25 - ORCA Saga Eastern Med Cruise Days 6 - 8 - Ashore In Malta

After an excellent Dolphin-filled departure from Gibraltar, we headed East towards our next destination of Malta. We were following the North African coastline of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, but keeping well outside of their territorial waters.

The ship's position at 07:05 on 25 Jan 25: We were at the Eastern end of the Alboran Sea which starts around and lies between Spain, Morocco and Algeria. This is a relatively shallow area with average depths of four hundred and fifty metres. We were about to enter the much deeper Mediterranean Sea

It proved to be a fairly quiet day at sea after the excitement of the one hundred and twelve Dolphins of three species that we saw in the late afternoon as we left Gibraltar. The clear highlight was a pod of three dispersed Cuvier's Beaked Whales seen during the day on the port side. I was the recorder at the time, so could have looked for them. However, having recorded the position, I replaced Lexie on the starboard side, in the hope she would get to see her first Cuvier's Beaked Whales. Unfortunately, they weren't showing well and she didn't see them. Sadly, the reality of Cetacean watching is that you don't get to see everything and some Beaked Whale sightings can be brief. A pod of nine Short-beaked Common Dolphins and a couple of unidentified Dolphins completed the Cetacean list for the day.

The end of the day noticeboard

Seabirds weren't plentiful either during the day, with a Gannet and a few Mediterranean, Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gulls seen. At one point, a Bordered Straw flew past me. I managed to confirm its identification when I found it dead on the deck the next morning.

Bordered Straw: Sadly, the Bordered Straw didn't survive. I photographed it a few days later (29 Jan 25)

Zooming in on the sunset: There was clearly a lot of dust in the air

I was hoping for a Green Flash, but it didn't happen

Our second day at sea as we sailed towards Malta was another relatively quiet day. We spent the day sailing along the North coast of Africa. Around late morning, we passed the spartan Galite Islands, which lie twenty-four miles North of the North West coast of Tunisia.

The Galite Islands: There are a handful of fishing families and soldiers who live on the main island. The smaller islands are a Nature Reserve which was set up to protect Eleonora's Falcons, Audouin's Gulls and Mediterranean Monk Seals

During the day, my Bird highlights were ten Yelkouan Shearwaters and a couple of large unidentified distant Cory's Shearwaters or Scopoli's Shearwaters. There was also a Gannet and a similar set of Gulls to the first day at sea and I missed an Arctic Skua that Terry briefly saw. I managed to see a short view of a single unidentified Dolphin. But I was pleased to see an immature Sea Turtle which quickly passed along the port side. This was likely to be a Loggerhead Turtle or Green Turtle, which are the two regular species that occur in the Mediterranean Sea. I saw a distant pale brown Butterfly flying North: I suspected it was a Painted Lady, but it was too far away to identify.

Pyralid Moth sp. sitting on the glass on the top deck: Identifying Pyralid Moths from their underside is above my pay grade. It flew as I tried to get a view of its upperside

The end of day noticeboard

We were looking forward to going ashore on Malta on the following day. Dawn occurred before we reached Malta, but we were too close inshore to consider surveying. The pilot boat appeared, as I was taken a few photos of the port.

Approaching the main harbour at Valletta: Fort Ricasoli guards the left hand side of the entrance

Fort St Elmo guards the right hand side of the entrance

Malta is composed of three main islands, totally just under one hundred and twenty-five square miles. It has a population of just under five hundred and fifty thousand people and it is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

The dome of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel dominates the old town

Malta has been inhabited for nearly eight thousand years. Its position sixty miles South of Sicily and just around two hundred miles East of Tunisia and North of Libya has allowed the island to dominate the central Mediterranean before Roman times. It had a long and complex history of many empires occupying the country. The Knights Hospitallers were based on Malta from 1530 to 1798. Soon after the island became the headquarters for the British Mediterranean fleet. The island was vital to the North African campaigns during WW2. Fortunately, it managed to hold out despite a prolonged siege and bombing campaign by the Germans and Italians from June 1940 to Nov 1942. Had Malta fallen, then it would have been very hard for the British to survive in North Africa, which ultimately could have changed the outcome of WW2.

The pilot boat coming out to meet us

The dome of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel & the spire of St Paul's Cathedral

The Basilica of the Nativity of Mary, Senglea: Senglea is one of the Three Cities

These doors in the cliff indicate there are underground passages to them: There are underground passages under the whole of the town. There will be more on this in the next Blog Post

One of the ferries that criss-cross the harbour

Looking across to the Three Cities

I think Valletta Harbour is the most impressive harbour that I've seen: The early morning sun helped to bring out the colours of the local straw-coloured limestone

It's great that Valletta has retained so many of its historical buildings

A panoramic view of the port

We were moored next to these attractive buildings

The Three Cities were just across the water

None of the ORCA team had been to Valetta before. One of the passengers who had joined us on the top deck earlier in the trip had suggested taking a boat over to the Three Cities on the other side of the harbour. The Three Cities have retained a lot of their original character and it should be quieter as most of the passengers were likely to head into the main town.

We had to walk along this waterfront to get to the jetty where we could get a boat across to the Three Cities

I like the overhanging balconies

Part of the old town walls

An old statue

There were regular large ferries to the Three Cities, but we would have a thirty minute wait until the next ferry left. Alternatively, we could get one of these small boats across immediately. The large ferry was four Euros as a return fare, compared to three Euros each way for the small boats. It was worth paying the extra two Euros to get the small boats.

The small boats manouevre with the oars and to tout for trade: But they use an outboard motor to move around the harbour

The Three Cities are Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua. They are all fortified cities. Vittoriosa is the oldest dating to the Medieval period, with Senglea and Cospicua being founded by the Knights Hospitallers in the 16th and 17th Centuries, respectively. We landed in Vittoriosa.

Fort St Angelo lies on the harbour end of Vittoriosa: It would have been interesting to have a look around the Fort, but that will have to wait for a return visit to Valletta

Terry, Karen & Lexie exploring the outside of Fort St Angelo

There were some expensive boats moored by the quayside: Perhaps not surprising given Private Eye has stated in the past, that Malta is one of the easiest of EU countries to buy an EU passport and the country has attracted a lot of rich Russians. A Maltese passport gives them easy access to the whole of the EU

An older luxury boat

The Spirit of Adventure

It was a short walk along this street from the jetty to the Maritime Museum.

These cannons indicated we had reached the Maritime Museum

A one hundred and thirty year old steam loco outside the Maritime Museum

The inside of the Maritime Museum is stunning

A bust of Lord Nelson: Nelson led the naval force that besieged Malta after the French captured the islands in 1798. The French surrendered in 1800 and Malta become a British Dominion, until it was granted independence in 1964

Wartime damage to this building near to the Maritime Museum

After a drink in one of the cafes, Terry, Karen and Lexie decided to hop on a boat back to the main town. I was keen to keep exploring Vittoriosa. More on that in the next Blog Post.

St Lawrence's Catholic Church: The church is next to the quay where the small boats arrive from the main town

24 Jan 25 - ORCA Saga Eastern Med Cruise Day 5 - A Shore Run In Gibraltar

After three days at sea, we were excited to be visiting Gibraltar: our first shore run on the Saga Eastern Mediterranean Cruise. The Spirit of Adventure was docking as it was getting light, so there was no chance for any surveying before we reached Gibraltar. The ship cleared immigration during breakfast and we were told we were free to head ashore for the day, up to 16:30 when we had to be back on the ship.

This was my first time in the British Overseas Territory

Gibraltar has been a British Overseas Territory since 1713. In 1704, Anglo-Dutch forces captured Gibraltar from Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession and it was ceded to Great Britain in perpetuity under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Relationships between the territory and Spain have often been difficult, but the Gibraltar population have strongly demonstrated their wish to remain a British territory in referendums in 1967 and 2002. Movement across the border has sometimes been suspended by the Spanish. There is plenty of irony that Spain has two small territories, Ceuta and Melilla, that it has retained on the Northern Morocco coast. Currently, there are discussions for Gibraltar to join the Schengen area, albeit those discussions have not achieved an agreement over the past two years.

It was only a short walk from the port, to the edge of the original town walls: Unusually for a British Territory or ex-British colony, the traffic has been driving on the wrong side of the road for near a century now. But it makes sense given the land border with Spain

Chiffchaff: There were a few migrant Chiffchaffs in the trees by the port

Gibraltar is just over three miles long. At the widest it is about a mile and a half, but it is only that wide because the port has been extended out into the surrounding waters. More typically, it is about a mile wide at the Northern end and it rapidly tapers to its narrow Southern tip. The whole territory is dominated by the Rock which is four hundred and twenty-six metres high.

I didn't expect to see a Great White Shark on this visit

The Rock has constrained the town to be largely on the Western side, although there are some coastal houses on the Eastern side of the Rock. The current population is just under forty thousand.

The Grand Casemate Gates

Grand Casement Square lies behind the entrance arches

Some recognisable features from home

An Edward VII post box

A Monument to the Royal Engineers: The Royal Engineers have been associated with Gibraltar since 1704

A memorial to the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Royal Regiment of Artillery were based at Gibraltar from 1704 to 1990

Part of the main shopping street: There were a lot of duty free shop signs in the street

After a few minutes' walk along the main shopping street, we turned left and started to walk uphill towards the entrance road to the Rock

The houses occupy nearly all of the available space on the hillside

Even the smallest of spaces can be converted into gardens

The path goes past this stunning Octopus artwork

After a ten to fifteen minute walk up the hill, we reached the Moorish Castle and the entrance to the Gibraltar Nature Reserve. The entrance fee is twenty-five Gibraltar pounds, which is set to parity with Sterling. While it isn't a cheap entrance fee, it does include the entrance to the various attractions within the Nature Reserve. Terry & Karen had both visited the area on previous Saga Cruises as part of the ORCA team and they weren't fussed about another visit. As it was the first visit for Lexie and myself, we decided to have a look around. We couldn't cover the whole of the area and there is enough to make another visit worthwhile, if I'm chosen by ORCA to survey this route on a future trip.

The Moorish Castle marks the border between the housing area and the Rock

Looking over the bay towards Spain past the Moorish Castle

Queen Charlotte's Battery: This gun battery dating to 1727 is next to the Moorish Castle

There are a number of roads and walking trails within the Gibraltar Nature Reserve

The road goes up past the WW2 Tunnels Museum. We decided to have a look around the Museum on the return journey. A few minutes later, we reached the Military Heritage Centre a bit higher up the Rock. This had some excellent views over the Northern end of Gibraltar.

Princess Caroline's Battery: This was built in 1732 and named after the daughter of George II. It was modernised in 1905

This old historical cannon dominated the landscape

Looking across the bay to Spain

Looking South, it's possible to see Africa in the distance: The nearest point of Africa is only thirteen miles from the Southern tip of Gibraltar

A historical Naval building

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary RFA Lyme Bay was tied up on one of the quays.

RFA Lyme Bay (A3007): A little bit of Dorset in Gibraltar

RFA Lyme Bay (A3007)

The airport is squeezed in a small area of flat land immediately North of the Rock. The road across the runway is open to traffic and pedestrians, when there aren't planes using it. The Spanish border is about a quarter mile to the North of the runway and next to the airport terminal.

The runway with the small airport building in the top right hand side of the photo

The Spanish border is visible at the top of the photo

Pedestrians being held as there was an EasyJet plane getting ready to take off

The runway road reopened once this EasyJet plane had left and a BA flight had arrived

Limited time was a problem during the day and it was time to keep pushing further into the Nature Reserve.

A view of the habitat : Sardinian Warblers were the commonest species in this habitat, but they were typically skulky

It would be interesting to visit in the migration season

Montbretia: There were a few stands of Montbretia in the Nature Reserve

Finally, we encountered a party of the famous Rock Apes or to give them their proper names Barbary Macaques. It is thought they were introduced by the Moors in Medieval times. There was a saying that when the Rock Apes disappear from Gibraltar, then the British would also leave. Churchill was worried enough about their declining numbers during WW2, that he ordered more to be sent to the Territory. The population is now stable with around two hundred and fifty to three hundred individuals.

Barbary Macaque: There were seven Barbary Macaques hanging around their regular area, which is so regular that it is shown on Googlemaps as the Apes Den

Barbary Macaque: Like most of the species of Macaques that I've seen, they have adapted to hanging around public areas and scrounging food off the public, despite the signs asking the public not to feed them

Barbary Macaque: The Gibraltar population is stable, but the wild population in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco is declining

There are historic gun batteries from various eras scattered throughout the Rock

This carved hole is a Healy's Mortar built in 1771: It was designed to be able to throw about one thousand stones, each weighing about a pound, onto attacking forces. It failed when most fell on the fortress rather than the attacking forces

Lexie and I ran into a couple from the ship who were returning from further into the reserve. They mentioned it was worth continuing as there was an excellent cave display at St Michael's Cave, which was another half mile along the road. This was going to eat into the time we had left, but it was time well spent. St Michael's Cave has been in use since Roman times. The British used it to protect the citizens during bombardment by Spanish and French ships during the Great Siege of Gibraltar from 1779. Eventually, the siege was broken in 1783. In WWII, it was used as an ammunition store and emergency hospital. It is now used as an underground concert hall.

St Michael's Cave

St Michael's Cave: We had only been there for a few minutes when a superb light & music show began

There was an fantastic light and music show in the cave. It was a shame they weren't playing some of Jean Michal Jarre's excellent compositions, given the way Jarre has combined music and light shows in the unique one-off concerts he has put on over the years in some of the world's most iconic locations.

St Michael's Cave: This looks like it would be a superb location for a concert

St Michael's Cave

St Michael's Cave: The lighting was slowly changed in the cave

St Michael's Cave: This was my favourite photo from the cave

Barbary Macaque: These two were hanging around the entrance to St Michael's Cave

It was time to start walking back to the town, albeit we started off on a different path back.

Rooke Battery: This gun emplacement dates to 1906. A lot of the upgrades to the gun emplacements around this era were to protect the Royal Navy harbour, which was extended and improved from 1893 to 1906

The Haynes Gun Battery which dates to 1903

We had seen this suspension bridge on the way to St Michael's Cave, but we managed to miss the track to the bridge. We found the path on the way back.

The Windsor Suspension Bridge was opened in 2016

I had built in a few minutes to have a quick look inside the WW2 Tunnels Museum, which has been created to show off a very small part of the extensive tunnels inside the Rock. The total length of the tunnels is thirty-four miles, which is twice the length of all the roads in the territory. The first tunnels were excavated in the late 1700s as communication passages between artillery positions and to house guns cut into the North Face of the Rock. Over the following years, more tunnels were constructed to allow easier access to remote areas of Gibraltar. Tunnelling continued in the 20th Century when Gibraltar was turned into a massive fortress in WW2. During WW2, Gibraltar was essential to retain, as it controlled access to the Western Mediterranean. Like Malta, had it fallen, then the course of WW2 could have been very different.

A newly painted mural by the entrance to the WW2 Tunnels Museum: "Montis Insignia Calpe" means "The Arms of Mount Calpe" which is the old Roman name for Gibraltar. The motto was adopted by the Suffolk Regiment for its distinguished part in the siege of Gibraltar in 1779-83

The entrance to the WW2 Tunnels Museum

A replica Spitfire in the Museum

This map shows the importance of Gibraltar in WW2

Nightjar sign: Both Nightjar and Red-necked Nightjar occur on the Rock

I wanted to have a quick look at the Moorish Castle. However, there was no access allowed during our visit. There were a few unidentified Terrapins in a pond next to the Castle.

Terrapin sp. in a pond by the Moorish Castle

Terrapin sp.: I've not managed to figure out the species, but they are most likely to be introduced

Terrapin sp.

After an eight mile walk, I was back at the ship.

The Spirit of Adventure

We were keen that the Spirit of Adventure sailed on time at 17:00, as we would have the best part of two hours on the top deck looking for Dolphins. The waters around Gibraltar are excellent places to see Short-beaked Common Dolphins. One of the local boats which takes visitors out to look for Dolphins are so confident that they will be successful, that they do not charge passengers, if they miss them.

Looking back on Gibraltar

It was a glorious late afternoon and lots of passengers joined us in the expectation of seeing some Dolphins. They were not disappointed. In the end, we saw eighty-nine Short-beaked Common Dolphins, ten Striped Dolphins, four Risso's Dolphins and nine unidentified Dolphins in less than two hours. It was the perfect end to a fantastic day.

Sunset over Africa